A judge from a federal court in the state of New Jersey has recently called upon the gambling regulators in the state to carry out investigations on the issue of using illegal dice. This directive has been inspired by claims that there was an incident where a man alleged to have been cheated out of his money. By using illegal dice, the man is reported to have lost hundreds of thousands in terms of American dollars.
The idea that casino providers can take advantage of the loopholes in the industry for their benefit is of great concern because it means casino users could lose huge investments. It is therefore important for the Division of Gaming Enforcement to look into the complaints made by Wayne Chan as a matter of urgency. In his claim, Chan reports that the practice is taking place at the Golden Nugget Hotel, Casino & Marina and the deal is that the administration is altering dice in a manner that is inconsistent with regulations governing the gambling industry in the state.
The documents presented to the court reveal that the amount of money that Chan lost following this racket sums up to about $470,000. All his money washed down the drain from playing craps from 2018 to 2019 using dice that had been improperly modified. Any form of alteration to the instruments of gaming that causes an unfair result to any of the parties involved in play is enough reason to warrant an investigation.
Even though the reports of this lawsuit are being circulated in the news now, it is not the first time that Chan has presented this matter to the courts. In September 2021, a court in Newark that hosted the first mention of this case took the side of the casino. This outcome obviously did not sit well with the victim and his lawyer at that time filed an appeal. In April of 2023, a court in New York put the ball in the DGE’s court urging the regulator to have the matter resolved within six months.
The DGE operates under the umbrella of the state Attorney General’s office. As one of the divisions of this docket, it is protected by all statutes that enforced by the office. It is a policy of this office and any agency under its wings to keep details of ongoing investigations under wraps provided that investigation or litigation is ongoing.
In the original report that Chan filed regarding the case, he alleged that the malpractice started off by Golden Nugget NJ marking all the dice with a number corresponding to a table. Another anomaly which the casino used to tip the odds in their favor was in using nontransparent dice. Although both these actions do not mean anything right away, they are prohibited under the gambling regulations in NJ.
Those who frequent casinos in Atlantic City will attest to the fact that all dice only bear spots to show the number of every side. Extra information printed on the dice include a serial number and trade name that the casino operates by. The dice are required to be transparent as a measure of assuring customers that they are empty. If anything other than the weight of the dice is allowed inside, it could influence the outcome every time it is rolled.
In 2022, gambling officials in New Jersey threw out a similar case in which Hard Rock Hotel & Casino of Atlantic City was accused of using improper dice. All stakeholders in the industry are aware that the nature of the case is a quite risky at the court level. Speaking on the complaint, Chan mentions that he brought up the issue of using suspicious dice while he was still playing so the staffs at Golden Nugget were aware that customers had concerns.
In the second week of January 2020, a legal counsel acting on behalf of Golden Nugget, sent a letter to Chan’s lawyer in which he made mention that the practice that his client had taken an interest to was referred to as scribing the dice. Terming it as something that something that the NJ online casino industry recognized, the Golden Nugget legal representation further revealed that it was nothing new in the casino industry. He argued that the Division of Gaming Enforcement as well as all other regulatory agencies were aware of it.
Feeling that they had justified their case, the management of Golden Nugget went on to claim that Chan owed them $200,000 which they wanted paid. Chan is not one to let an accusation go unanswered and he jumped on it the very next day. In the complaint he filed, he made sure that it landed on the table of the DGE. To date, there has never been a formal determination of the case.
Seeing that the initial case filed against them had not taken off, Golden Nugget continued to collect until Sept. 24, 2021 when Chan sued them. It is possible that many other players had taken notice but none thought of seeking legal redress; probably because they had not lost much.
Final Thoughts
At a glance, it might appear like casinos are a good option for spending free time away from family life and daily routine. It is no debate that almost all casinos are designed to be attractive by plunging players into a fantasy world. From using distinct lighting and flashy accessories to make gambling spaces memorable, time spent at a casino can fly away so fast leaving most people out of tune with reality. The endless rows of glittering slot machines create a fun looking space that people will pay to stay in.
For most players though, all the pomp is quickly replaced with thrill and excitement as they watch the wheels spin in anticipation for their win. It is clearly a cycle of attraction that begins immediately a game ends and does not end until there is no more money to spend.
